Kava — Part 2 of 2
Before coming to Vanuatu I did as much research as possible on the culture, the climate, what type of food I would be eating, etc. The elusive “kava culture” kept popping up as something extremely unique to Vanuatu and of course, sparked my interest. With a stroke of luck, there actually ended up being two kava bars in North Carolina, one in Boone, that my mom, my aunt and I decided to visit one weekend. I wrote a preemptive blog post on my experience with hopes that it would be as authentic as possible, without actually being in the island country of Vanuatu.
After being in Vanuatu now for almost three months, I have been exposed to the true kava culture. Nakamals (the kava bars) open around 4:00 pm every day and close when the kava runs out. Outside of the nakamals are plastic sand buckets flipped upside down over a street lamp. The nakamals are appropriately named after the color of the bucket and possibly by the neighborhood that they’re located in Greenlight, Whitelight, Redlight. Some are more playfully named like 21 Jump or Obama, which is named after the current president of the United States because of the signed photograph that is displayed predominately for customers. Funny story about the signed photograph is it’s actually the second autographed piece from Obama this nakamal has had. The first was destroyed during Cyclone Pam and rumor has it that someone contacted President Obama and acquired another signed photograph to replace the lost one.
The nakamals in Vila are unique only because the kava doesn’t grow here. Nine times out of ten, the kava comes from other islands in Vanuatu and the family that owns the nakamal prepares kava from the island in which their family is from. A common thing to ask when at a new nakamal is what island the kava comes from. Some of the more popular nakamals have reputations for watering down their kava, to sale more, but in return reduce the effect the drinker has from the kava. Typically, the smaller, family-owned nakamals off the beaten paths in Vila have stronger kava.
You order kava in 50ml, 100ml, 150ml or 200ml if you’re feeling overly adventurous, and in return, these numbers also reflect how much Vatu you’re paying for the kava which is pretty convenient. The “shells” are plastic bowls that the nakamal provides, washing them after each customer uses them. Some germ conscious people bring their own bowls. It is custom to take shells in groups, so the entire group will stand in a line, exhale, drink the shell, then almost automatically spit. The taste is extremely earthy and bitter. It’s very common for you to hear sounds of hacking, spitting and gagging while hanging out at the nakamal, none of which are shameful. Peace Corps Vanuatu volunteers have a running shirt that gets printed every year stating “Peace Corps Vanuatu, drinking and spitting since 1989.”
The amount of kava you drink to feel the effects of it varies from person to person. If it only takes a few shells of kava, you’re considered a tispoon, or what we would call a lightweight. If you can drink a lot of kava before feeling the effects or throwing up, you’re considered a tanka. Apparently, I’m a tanker and have been told to start with a few 150ml and taper off with a 50ml. I typically go for kava one or two times a week, some people drink it every night.
The only negative health effects that kava has proven to have is a heavy drinker’s hands will dry out some. Other than that, it actually is an appetite suppressant. Eating before drinking kava is not advised because you will not feel the same effects if you have a full stomach. Most nakamals offer washemout, which are like bite-sized snacks, to get the taste of kava out of your mouth. This ranges from fish to papaya, to local nuts or root plants. It’s also advised to bring your own washemout, a favorite of mine is Sprite, others lean towards M&Ms or Breakfast crackers. Another necessity to bring to the nakamal is bug spray.
As far as authenticity goes, Noble Kava in Boone did a great job of setting the mood of a nakamal, low lit and quite. Most nakamals are fairly quiet places and it is considered rude and inconsiderate to speak loud, but there might be television on low playing local shows or French movies.
I will being posting on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, hopefully different content but no promises. These thoughts and pictures are mine and in no way reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
